Better Days
by Fenice158
Summary: "You smell homeless, Blaine. Homeless." Kurt had no idea how true his words were. [Season 2 AU]
1. I Walk A Lonely Road

**I Walk a Lonely Road**

_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me _

_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating_

_Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me_

_'Till then I walk alone_

Blaine Anderson had never spoken to Kurt Hummel despite sharing a few classes with the boy. He knew Kurt was a junior like him and Blaine thought his comments during English class were always interesting and thought provoking – Kurt had a talent for noticing details most people overlooked – but they had never talked. Kurt usually sat in the first rows while Blaine always sat in a corner in the back in every class he had. Blaine didn't have anything against Kurt, he just didn't talk much to people unless it was necessary. People, no matter how harmless they might have seemed, had a tendency to bring trouble and disappointment and Blaine wasn't interested in either. Most of his classmates considered him a loner and left him alone, and as long as his marks were steady so did the teachers. It was safer for everybody involved.

It wasn't until Ms. Holly Holliday subbed for his English class that Blaine found himself in close proximity to Kurt. Apparently she thought having half of the class switch seating would be a good way to 'shake things up' and that's how Kurt ended up sitting in the last row of the class at the desk previously occupied by Blaine only. Kurt didn't seem fazed by the switch, even though his friend Tina didn't look pleased at all to see Kurt replaced with Brett, one of the resident stoners.

It didn't take long for Kurt to shatter Blaine's previously neutral-leaning-on-decent opinion of him. It was Blaine's own fault really. He shouldn't have said "Wow, I thought teachers like this only existed in movies. Can you believe her?". He had meant it as a compliment and thought the boy would agree with him since he was smiling in a way Blaine had never seen him do in class. Not that Blaine cared but he was a natural observer.

Kurt barely glanced at him as he pulled a disgusted face, "You smell homeless, Blaine. _Homeless_."

Fear shot through Blaine like a jolt of electricity and his heart skipped a beat. Kurt wasn't even looking at him but Blaine could feel the heat rising to his cheeks, shame and anger boiling up in him. He took a steadying breath, his hands balling up into fists on his knees. There was no way Kurt knew. There was no way _anybody_ knew.

Blaine always prioritized personal hygiene. It was important for his health, it was necessary to keep up appearances, and it was paramount if he wanted to keep his sanity. When he had at first found himself living on the streets he had gone almost a month without a shower, only managing to wash in bits and pieces in public bathrooms. That on top of the stress, loneliness and fear accumulated during those weeks had almost driven him to madness. Now, almost a year later, he had a system that allowed him to shower regularly even if not every day. It was easier when school was in because he could use the showers in the boys' locker room under the pretence of doing some exercise in the gym, preferably when no one was around so he didn't have to pretend and could just shower – he got plenty of exercise riding around town on his bike, thank you very much. He did not smell. His clothes did, though. They were due for laundry and Blaine could distinctly pick out the smell of the frying oil they used in the pizzeria he worked at. Sometimes he just didn't have the time or energy or the change to spare to go to a Laundromat. It was hard when he had to go to school, do homework and then work till late at night just to make sure he had enough money to _eat_ or occasionally buy himself a few hours of sleep on an actual bed in a shady motel at the edge of town where they didn't ask many questions.

Kurt was just a jackass who didn't know how good he had it.

Blaine wanted to grab his backpack and storm out. He wanted to scream that it wasn't his fault and that Kurt didn't know what the hell he was talking about. A part of him wanted to cry because when he was alone at night with nothing to hold on to that part of him still wondered if it _had_ been his fault.

Instead he kept silent, clenched his jaw and stared ahead, pretending to listen to Ms. Holliday until the bell rang. Then he leant in just enough so Kurt would know he was talking to him and muttered, "You're a jerk, you know that?" with venom before exiting the room.

That was his first mistake.

His second mistake was thinking that ignoring the mere existence of the boy who had inadvertently humiliated him would be easy. It wasn't an unfounded hope, after all they had managed not to cross paths for almost a year, but it suddenly seemed like Kurt was now everywhere. Perhaps Blaine's still burning embarrassment had made him hyperaware of the other boy, like he would be to a threat while alone on the streets, or maybe it was simply too hard to turn a blind eye to what he was seeing.

Because now that Blaine was actually looking it didn't take a genius to realize that Kurt didn't have it so good, at least not at school. For Blaine school was the only place where he felt normal. It was the only place where he got to do regular things like attending lessons, turning in homework and spending hours in the library studying for a test. He was safe there. Every time he stepped out of those doors the reality of having no place to go and no one who cared slammed back on him with a million worries.

_How much time do I have before work? What am I going to eat? Am I going to eat or should I save the money? Can I go one more night without dinner? Will I get jumped/robbed/assaulted leaving work after midnight? Where will I sleep? Will it rain? Will it be too cold? Should I use the money to sleep somewhere warm? _

_What if someone finds out?_

_What if it gets worse?_

Surely Kurt didn't have to worry about those kind of things (his wardrobe spoke for itself) but school definitely wasn't a safe place for him.

Blaine was aware that bullying was a common practice at McKinley, everybody was, but he had somehow always managed to stay out of the way and out of reach of the bullies. It repulsed him having to turn a blind eye on it but he had already gone through hell at his former high school and he knew he wouldn't be able to handle that kind of torment on top of his current situation.

Kurt wasn't as lucky. In the course of the following three weeks Blaine rapidly lost count of how many times he saw Kurt being roughly pushed into lockers, loudly called horrible names, slushied or thrown into dumpsters.

He also caught Kurt staring a few times and one particular instance left him puzzled. One morning Blaine was locking his bike when he saw Kurt pushing his friend's wheelchair as they crossed the parking lot with Tina. Blaine immediately averted his eyes and went back to his business but couldn't help noticing when Kurt suddenly stopped and Blaine looked up to see Kurt staring at him like he had seen a ghost. Blaine had no idea why as he wasn't wearing anything flashy – he never did, that would catch people's attention – but he couldn't help the slight glare he sent Kurt's way. Kurt blinked, obviously realizing he had been caught, and moved on. Blaine figured the boy was probably offended by his clothes this time and imagined he would say something snarky about how the colors didn't match, which they didn't, but that was the kind of preoccupation that took a backseat when you lived on the streets and shopped at Goodwill.

He didn't think too much about it until one Saturday morning he woke up to find himself covered with an unfamiliar coat. Blaine's first terrified thought was that someone had approached him while he was sleeping and he hadn't noticed. That was the main reason why he normally avoided sleeping in parks, it was too public, too much of a risk of being caught or worse, assaulted, but the night before he had gotten off work later than usual and had been too tired to ride his bike anywhere else. He consoled himself thinking at least he had been lucky and nothing bad had happened.

He took a closer look at the coat, it was black, probably made of wool but not too thick, warm without being too much for early November, clearly of refined quality. He traced his fingers over the lapel until they bumped into something.

Something Blaine recognized.

~:~

On Monday Blaine saw Kurt making his way through the parking lot during lunch break and took the chance to corner him. "What is this?" he asked as he pushed the coat at Kurt, who instinctively recoiled and let it fall at his feet.

"A coat?"

"Don't be a smartass, Hummel. Did you seriously think I wouldn't know where this came from?"

"You think it's mine? Why?"

"Because you forgot to take your brooch off!" Blaine pointed out, picking it up and showing Kurt the lapel where an elegant horse head was pinned. "I haven't seen many people wearing this kind of stuff around here but I know I've seen this on you."

Kurt fell silent, clearly caught. "Fine," he reluctantly admitted, "it's mine. I still don't know what you're so mad about."

"I don't need your pity!"

"It wasn't pity!"

"Oh, really? And what would you call it?"

"A kind gesture? Sorry for trying to do something nice. My bad!" Kurt drily retorted.

"I don't need you to do anything for me! And if you tell someone…"

"What? You'll kill me? I've heard that one before." He scoffed.

Blaine froze, losing his momentum. "What?"

"Nothing. Look, I don't know why you were there but you looked cold, okay? That's why I put that coat over you. End of story. Nothing to tell anyone." Kurt stormed away and Blaine just watched him go, coat still in his hands.

He saw Kurt again only later in the hallways. He was putting away his books in his locker when Karofsky pushed him hard into it, causing him to fall to the floor. Blaine flinched, sure that Kurt had hit his head this time.

And then it happened. Instead of quickly getting up and brushing it off as he usually did, Kurt drew his knees up to his chest and remained there on the floor. People walked past him without sparing him a glance.

In that moment the mask slipped and all Blaine could see was a broken boy.

And no one who cared.


	2. A Constant Wave Of Tension

**A Constant Wave of Tension**

_Sorrow found me when I was young _

_Sorrow waited, sorrow won _

_I live in a city sorrow built_

Kurt had been called many things in his life but jerk was never one of it. It caught his attention despite being a pretty vanilla – not to mention uninventive – insult. It might have had something to do with the fact the other boy had a point, because while Kurt had only spoken the truth – harsh as it was – it had been uncalled for. Or maybe Kurt had just been startled by the strong emotion behind Blaine's words. He didn't know why but the moment stuck with him all day, replaying itself in his mind.

In fact it distracted him so well that he didn't notice Karofsky and Azimio cornering him behind the science wing, just out of sight of the courtyard. Luckily it didn't get further than shoves and name calling because Coach Beiste happened to walk by and the two rapidly faked innocence while Kurt took the chance to walk away. After what had happened in the locker room – the kiss Kurt was still trying to erase from his memory – not one day had gone by without a reminder that he wasn't safe.

He felt like he was trapped in a nightmare.

~:~

Kurt had been used to being left out his entire life and that had made him a good observer. Until Glee Club changed his life he had only been able to watch from the outside as other people made friends and went on with their lives, imagining the day he would have all those things too. He had never stopped hoping and he had been rewarded, he had friends now but he kept looking, waiting for other missing pieces. He wasn't sure why his eyes kept straying to Blaine when their paths crossed, Kurt had never really paid much attention to the boy. No one did, but Kurt knew what it felt like to be invisible and that was what Blaine seemed to be to everyone. He never talked unless he was called on and he didn't hang out with anyone. If someone happened to talk to him it was always brief and then they went back to ignoring him. Kurt had been there and no matter how much he had told himself he liked his solitude, nobody liked it _that_ much.

Then one morning something happened. Kurt was pushing Artie's wheelchair as they walked towards the school entrance with Tina. Kurt's gaze landed on Blaine and he froze as he took in Blaine's clothes, his cardigan in particular. Kurt knew that cardigan. It was dark blue and had belonged to Kurt until he had donated it to Goodwill. It couldn't be a coincidence because Kurt remembered replacing the original buttons with new ones when one broke in a dumpster fall. Seeing that cardigan on Blaine was like a punch in the gut to Kurt and once again he thought of his rude comment. What if he had hit close to home? Kurt knew that there were people losing their jobs and homes in this bad economy. What if Blaine's family was going through something like that? Of course that was when Blaine looked up and glared at him, causing Kurt to avert his eyes in what felt a lot like shame.

Kurt didn't have much time to dwell on it though because soon his mind was reeling with Karofsky's death threat that left him shaken to his core. He went home in a daze, trying to escape the horrible scenarios that popped into his mind.

He was never safe. He wished he never had to leave his house again, because that was the only place where he could feel protected. He tried to concentrate on that, tried to concentrate on his dad and making dinner for both of them and then eating but his throat felt constricted and he had a hard time even swallowing a sip of water. His father noticed, as he always did.

"I'm fine, dad. Just not hungry." His fingers trailed the collar of his shirt as if that would loosen up the knot in his throat. He kept feeling his father's eyes on him, clearly unconvinced, but escaped using homework as an excuse to retreat to his room.

Listening to some music helped him relax enough to believe he wasn't going to choke on the lump that had lodged itself in his throat, but his respite was short-lived. He woke up with a start at six am, his heart beating so fast he could feel it in his ears and his eyes burning with tears he didn't know he had been crying. Dreadful nightmares had tormented him in his sleep and he felt even more tired than when he had gone to bed. He felt trapped, suffocated and he had the urge to punch something.

On an impulse he decided to get out and go for a walk. It was a Saturday morning so he had all the time he wanted and he hoped it would help him let out some of his frustration and clear his head. He walked the two blocks to the nearest park, the cold wind blowing on his face making him feel like he could breathe again. It wasn't too cold yet and the sky was clear, soon the sun would warm him up and in the meantime he hugged his coat closer to himself.

It made him feel better walking through the still empty and quiet park, even though it couldn't erase the constant tension he had been carrying around for weeks now. He was starting to wonder whether he should head back when he noticed something that made him stop in his tracks. There was something peeking out from behind a bench. He took a couple steps closer and realized it was a pair of feet. For a second he wondered if he was about to discover a dead body but then shook the thought away as preposterous. Damn Finn for making him watch CSI.

He got closer anyway, just to make sure, but nothing could have prepared Kurt for what he saw. It looked like the person was lying on a yoga mat and as the whole body came in sight Kurt immediately zeroed in on the head, partially covered by a black beanie and unruly black curls. Kurt's breath caught.

Blaine.

He was lying there, his head pillowed on his backpack, both shoulder straps around one of his arms like he was afraid to lose it. Something a lot like panic rose in Kurt at the sight of someone he knew lying there, looking so helpless and vulnerable, and he frantically checked the rise and fall of Blaine's chest to make sure he was still breathing. He was. He was just asleep and Kurt tried to calm himself down, his mind reeling with questions as to why Blaine was there. He almost called his name to wake him up but then hesitated. Blaine looked cold all curled up on himself like that. Without much thought Kurt was out of his coat and gently placing it on Blaine, praying he wouldn't wake him, a part of him scared at what would happen if he did, then took off.

He walked briskly until he was sure Blaine was out of sight and then stopped and leant against a tree to catch his breath. He had looked so _alone_ and it broke Kurt's heart. He debated with himself whether he should go back and wake him to offer his help and he almost started running back to him twice but then… would Blaine even accept it? They weren't friends and Kurt had been so incredibly rude and unknowingly cruel to him. Blaine probably hated him.

While he slowly walked back home he kept wondering what had happened to Blaine and how long he had been in that situation, but he kept coming up empty because he didn't know anything about the boy or his family. His family. Where were they? Kurt thought of his dad, his rock. Kurt had often felt alone but in the end he had always been able to count on his dad. Blaine on the other hand seemed to be completely alone.

~:~

On Monday Kurt's suspicions that Blaine hated him were confirmed by the boy snarling at him about the coat. Kurt couldn't believe he had made such a stupid mistake but then again he hadn't really been thinking straight that morning. He was mad at Blaine for being impossible but he was also mad at himself for making things worse. He didn't have the energy to do anything about it though. He didn't know what to expect from Blaine and he briefly wondered if the boy would turn out to be one more problem but he was too tired to even worry about that. Tired of fighting his way through the day. Tired of pretending he wasn't affected.

As if to confirm Kurt's worst fears Blaine ambushed him again the day after.

"What I was actually going to say yesterday was 'if you tell someone that you saw me there you're gonna get me in a lot of trouble so you better keep your mouth shut', but apparently you've been hanging out with a rougher crowd than me." Blaine said, appearing at Kurt's locker while he was switching his books.

Kurt's eyes narrowed, trying to gauge the other boy's intentions, "They could certainly give you a lesson or two on how to threaten people."

"I wasn't _going_ to threaten you."

"Is there a point to this conversation?" Kurt asked. As much as he had wanted to help in the park, he wasn't sure what to do any more.

"I was mad, okay?"

"I got that."

Blaine sighed, "You can have your coat back."

Kurt looked at him again. He didn't look angry like yesterday and he certainly didn't look like a threat. "Keep it." He said before closing his locker and walking away.


	3. Welcome To My Silly Life

**Welcome to My Silly Life**

_Made a wrong turn once or twice_

_Dug my way out, blood and fire_

_Bad decisions, that's alright_

_Welcome to my silly life _

A couple days went by with Blaine barely seeing Kurt. Blaine kept telling himself he was only watching him because now that Kurt sort of knew about him he was like a ticking bomb waiting to blow up in Blaine's face, but the more he observed him the less it seemed likely. Kurt appeared more withdrawn than usual, only lighting up around his friends and even then it looked a little forced.

After a week Blaine had to admit to himself that maybe Kurt had more important things to worry about than spreading rumors about him. Like fending off physical assaults, as Blaine unpleasantly discovered as he was walking behind the school.

The sight he was presented with was Azimio holding Kurt back while Karofsky punched Kurt in the stomach. It was only one blow but it was enough to make Kurt fall on his knees, breathless and coughing.

"Kurt!" It slipped out before Blaine could refrain himself. Three heads snapped in his direction. Kurt's eyes widened in surprise and something akin to fear flashed in his eyes as he stared at Blaine.

"Oh, look! Lady's got a boyfriend now coming to his defense?" Azimio sneered while Karofsky glared at Blaine.

"Shut up, I don't even know him." Kurt managed to say and Blaine frowned. He had expected some kind of sharp comeback. He was about to say something when they heard a whistle coming from the football field.

"Shit, we're late for practice. Let's go." He turned to Kurt and pointed at him, "This isn't over."

Blaine started immediately walking towards Kurt and heard him mutter "It never is" as he picked himself up, cringing a bit.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Kurt answered still holding a hand to his abdomen and refusing to meet Blaine's eyes.

"You're bleeding."

"It's nothing. I just bit my lip." Kurt rummaged inside his bag until he found a tissue to press to his mouth before finally looking at Blaine, "Don't do it again."

Blaine blinked in confusion, "Do what?"

"Interrupt them."

"Are you crazy? Was I supposed to just walk by as if them beating you up was okay?"

Kurt gave him a bitter smile, "They don't need any more people to torment. I don't want you to get in trouble because of me." He rearranged his bag on his shoulder and started walking away before suddenly turning around and looking straight into Blaine's eyes, "But thanks."

And once again Blaine was left staring confusedly after him.

~:~

Blaine worked part time at Joe's pizzeria. Mostly he just worked as a delivery boy but sometimes they'd ask him to fill in for somebody else and he'd end up washing dishes and cleaning up after closure. When that happened he always got off work quite late but the extra money was useful, especially when he was trying to save up some so he wouldn't have to sleep on the streets too often when it got really cold in the winter. Homeless shelters weren't really an option, Blaine had learned from experience that people there asked too many questions when faced with a teenager.

Blaine checked again his next address and jumped on his bike. He had a feeling he knew the person his next pizza delivery was for but he didn't care, it was perfectly acceptable to have a part time job. Besides, he doubted the person in question even knew his name.

When he got to the house he noticed immediately that something was off. The front yard was littered with garbage and some of it smelled quite badly. Blaine took out the two pizzas he was supposed to deliver and walked up the path to the front porch where he spotted someone on his knees, cleaning up what looked like eggs on the floor and muttering angrily. Even though his back was to Blaine, there was no way he could have mistaken him for anyone else.

Kurt Hummel.

Surprised but curious now, Blaine cleared his throat to make himself known and Kurt's head whipped around.

"Hi."

Kurt couldn't have looked more surprised if an alien had just greeted him. "Hi…" Kurt uncertainly replied, "What are you doing here?" he asked as he got up, still looking very much like a deer caught in headlights.

Blaine gestured to the two boxes he was holding on one hand, "I have a delivery to this address."

Kurt frowned, "I didn't order any pizza."

With his free hand Blaine got out the piece of paper where he had the address and checked again, "Well, it's the right address but the name is-"

"Did I hear pizza?" Finn asked, poking his head out of the front door.

Blaine turned back to Kurt, "Hudson."

Kurt rolled his eyes, "Of course. Finn, why did you order pizza? There's plenty of food in the house."

"Yeah, _healthy_ food. But after all this" he gestured to the mess littering the porch and garden, "I thought we could use some good food."

Kurt sighed, "I'm trying to get my dad to eat better… you know what? I'm not even going to argue this time. But for the record, next time you want to indulge order me a cheesecake."

"Sweet tooth. Gotcha. Let me go get the money."

"Are you okay?" Blaine asked Kurt when Finn disappeared back inside.

"I'm fine." Which would have been more believable to Blaine if Kurt hadn't been standing next to a pool of egg yolk.

"What happened here?"

"Some neanderthals thought it would be funny to throw trash at my house."

"Karofsky?"

"I didn't see them but I'd bet all of my Marc Jacobs he was one of them."

Blaine looked around, "So this is your house?"

Kurt nodded, "I'm helping Finn with Spanish."

"Dude! What's with the third grade?" Finn rudely interrupted.

"Finn!" Kurt snapped, his tone reproachful.

Finn turned to him, "What? We don't even know him!"

Just like Blaine thought. It didn't even bother him, in fact, not being noticed was exactly what he had worked really hard for. Kurt on the other hand seemed offended on Blaine's behalf.

"Blaine's at school with us!"

"Oh." Finn turned back to Blaine "Sorry, dude… lots of people, you know?"

"It's okay. We do have gym class together, though."

"Uh, yeah… I'm usually too sweaty to notice anything happening around me in that class."

Kurt made a face, "Ugh. Nice, Finn, real nice. Just give Blaine the money and let him go, will you? He's actually working right now."

"Yeah, sure. Here." Finn handed him the money with a sheepish look.

"Thanks." Blaine turned back to Kurt, "Do you need any help?" he wasn't sure why he even offered but he was rewarded with a small, yet genuine smile from Kurt.

"Thanks, but we'll take care of it."

Blaine could only nod, he did have to go after all. Pizzas don't deliver themselves. He walked back to his bike and got on it, looking back one last time before leaving.

~:~

The worst part of running around on a bike was the fact that he was at the mercy of the weather, so when it rained the pizzas were safe in the plastic box he had strapped on the back of it but Blaine got drenched. Which was exactly what happened after he left Kurt's house and since his jacket didn't really offer much protection as far as water resistance went, he was sneezing and sniffling at school the day after. Gym class was going to be _fun_.

By the time that period rolled around Blaine was feeling even worse, he was tired, stuffed up and he felt like he was stuck in a bubble, barely aware of what was going on around him.

Their teacher took them outside and told them to start running, which Blaine did as slowly as he could get away with. After a couple rounds he started seeing black spots and the whole world seemed to be spinning around him, causing him to stumble and fall on his knees. He heard laughter around him and he planted his hands on the ground, not knowing whether he was trying to stop himself from falling or the world from spinning.

Then there was a hand on his shoulder.

"Blaine? What's wrong?"

Blaine didn't look up. "Nothing, I'm okay. Just a little bit dizzy."

A hand on his forehead.

"You're burning up! You must have a fever. Come on, I'll take you to the nurse."

One of Blaine's hands was slung around someone's shoulders and an arm went around his back to help him up. Blaine finally looked at the person, "Kurt? What are you doing?"

"I'm taking you to the nurse. Can you walk?"

Blaine looked around himself, the world was still spinning a bit but there were no black spots so he wasn't going to pass out yet. With some help he could probably make it to the nurse's office, but that didn't mean he wanted to. "I don't need to see the nurse, I just need to sit down for a minute, maybe drink some water."

"Go to the nurse, Mr. Anderson." Their teacher interrupted. "If you have a fever you should go home and rest."

Blaine tensed but didn't have a chance to reply before Kurt was steering him away, saying "It's okay. Come on."

Blaine didn't really have the energy to protest further and silently walked to the nurse's office with Kurt, who helped him up on one of the beds and disappeared behind the privacy curtain, leaving him to the nurse's mercy.

She checked his temperature and confirmed he had quite the fever then proceeded to give him some Tylenol and told him to rest.

"Do you want me to call your parents?" she asked him as she placed a box of tissues on the side table next to him.

Blaine's eyes shot open in panic, "No! That's not necessary…"

"You can't drive home like this."

"I'll get him home." Sounded Kurt's voice.

The nurse opened the curtain to reveal Kurt standing just a couple feet away. Blaine had assumed Kurt had just dropped him there and gone back to class but apparently he had been wrong.

"Are you sure, Mr. Hummel?"

"Yes, of course. It's no trouble."

That seemed to satisfy her and she walked back to her desk in the adjacent room. Kurt seemed hesitant as to what he was supposed to do now, but Blaine wasn't about to let him go without an explanation.

"Why did you do that?" he asked, his tone coming out almost accusatory even though he hadn't meant it that way.

Kurt shrugged and walked closer to the bed, "I don't know, why did you offer me help yesterday? Apparently this is what we do now? It was what you wanted though, right?"

Blaine sighed, "Yeah. Thank you." He didn't really have an answer to Kurt's other questions so he stayed silent.

"You got caught in the rain last night, didn't you?"

Kurt was looking at him with an unreadable look Blaine couldn't figure out. He nodded.

There was a long pause and Blaine's eyes started to drift shut. Kurt took a couple steps away from the bed and Blaine decided he could let himself succumb to sleep.

"Did you run?" Kurt's voice brought him out of the fog again.

"What?" Blaine frowned and tried to focus his eyes on Kurt. Things were a little blurry at the moment. He really needed to sleep.

"From home." Kurt clarified, "Did you run away?"

A horrible sound came out of Blaine's throat then. It should have been laughter but it was too bitter and painful to qualify. He saw something a lot like sadness flash on Kurt's face but it didn't make any sense to him. Nobody cared enough to feel sadness for Blaine.

"I know it doesn't make much sense, because you're still coming to school and your family could easily find you, but what am I supposed to think?"

Blaine tensed, anger rising up in him. His head hurt, his chest felt constricted and all he wanted was for Kurt to go away. Go away and never come back.

"You're supposed to mind your own business."

~:~

Against all Blaine's wishes and expectations Kurt came back at the end of the school day. Blaine's fever-induced fog had lifted by then and he clearly remembered snapping at Kurt and him leaving without a word.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, staring confusedly at Kurt.

"Picking you up like I said I would." Kurt was staring right back and looked almost defiant.

It didn't seem like a good idea to argue in front of the nurse so Blaine just nodded and they walked out together, stopping at Blaine's locker so he could gather his things. When they reached the parking lot Blaine went immediately for his bike, only to stop short when he noticed that Kurt was still with him, apparently waiting for Blaine.

"She's not here to check, you can go now."

Kurt sighed like he needed a lot of patience to deal with Blaine, "I meant it when I said I'd drive you home… or wherever you want to go. You're still sick."

"I'll be fine." Blaine stubbornly replied.

"What if you start feeling worse when you're riding your bike?"

"I can't leave it here."

"We can hook it to my car. Come on, I just want to avoid you fainting in the middle of the road."

As much as Blaine wished he could just walk away, it was true that he was far from fine. He was aching everywhere and even though his head was clearer he still had a fever.

"Okay."

Blaine hesitated again when they got to Kurt's car, debating with himself if this was really a good idea. Kurt, as if able to read what Blaine was thinking, arched his eyebrows at him, "I'm harmless." His tone seemed to indicate he thought Blaine was being silly.

Blaine couldn't help a small smile at that, "Really?" he asked, this time clearly teasing.

Kurt smiled too, "Besides my sharp tongue and biting sarcasm. I'd promise to refrain but I have a feeling you can give as good as you get."

"Fair enough." Blaine muttered and they both got into the car.

"Where to?"

Blaine told him the name of a motel he sometimes stayed at and rapidly explained him how to get there. They were silent for a few minutes until Blaine remembered something.

"Shouldn't you be with your Glee club?"

Kurt shrugged, his eyes never leaving the road, "They're busy planning a boys versus girls thing. They won't miss me."

Blaine wanted to ask why, weren't those Kurt's friends? But then again, what did he know about friendship? So he kept his mouth shut until Kurt parked in front of the motel and turned to Blaine, seemingly bracing himself for something.

"I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for what I said to you in class."

Blaine scoffed, "You're only sorry because now you know it's true."

"No, that only made it worse."

Blaine shook his head disbelievingly, looking out the window, "Why are you actually doing this, Kurt?"

"Because I know what it feels like when no one seems to care."

It was the pain in his voice that made Blaine turn and look at him again. Kurt was perfectly still, just watching Blaine. Looking in his eyes all Blaine could see was the same broken boy he had seen sitting in the hallway at school, openly showing him what Blaine knew was a reflection of himself he never allowed anyone to see. In that moment he knew Kurt had told him the truth.

"Is there any way that you can call somebody if you need help?"

When Blaine answered, his voice came out a little rough, "Yeah, I have a phone."

"Do you have anybody you can call?" Kurt asked and was met with silence. "Can I give you my number? Just in case?"

"I'm not going to die of a cold." Blaine pointed out, rummaging through his backpack.

"I know but-" Kurt started but was interrupted when Blaine handed him his phone to input his number in. Kurt looked surprised and Blaine thought the fever must have really gotten to him, but told himself he wasn't actually going to call Kurt.

He got out of the car and turned back to Kurt, "Thank you." he said looking straight into Kurt's eyes, making sure he knew Blaine really meant it.

Kurt smiled, "Anytime."

Blaine wished he could believe him.


	4. I Tried My Best To Be Guarded

**I Tried My Best to Be Guarded**

_Do I sit here and try to stand it?_

_Do I trust some and get fooled by phoniness,_

_Or do I trust nobody and live in loneliness?_

_Because I can't hold on when I'm stretched so thin_

_I put on my daily facade but then_

_I just end up getting hurt again_

It took Blaine four days of debating with himself before he talked to Kurt again. Blaine had been homeless for a year and Kurt was the first person to find out about him, so even though it didn't seem like Kurt was going to compromise him, Blaine still couldn't decide whether Kurt now represented a bigger risk than before and what to do about it. In the end he didn't make a decision, he didn't even think, he just acted. He had a free period so he went to the library to study as he always did and was about to sit down in his usual spot when he noticed Kurt sitting by himself at a table, apparently absorbed in whatever he was reading. Blaine had a moment of hesitation then walked over and sat across Kurt, putting his books on the table and crossing his arms over them.

Kurt looked up at the noise and Blaine saw his face shift from indifference to surprise when he realized who he was.

"So, are we back to ignoring each other?" Blaine asked in a low voice so as not to disturb anyone or attract attention. Kurt blinked and opened his mouth to say something but Blaine beat him to it. "I'm just asking because this back and forth is kind of confusing me."

Kurt raised his eyebrows and his mouth quirked up as if Blaine had said something funny, "That makes two of us."

Blaine shrugged, having no idea what he was doing and feeling strangely detached from himself, as if something was overriding his brain and taking control, "I've never seen you in the library at this hour. I thought you had class."

Kurt didn't seem fazed by the abrupt change in conversation, "I usually spend it in the choir room but I need to finish this essay." He picked his pen up and tapped it twice on his notebook.

"History?"

Kurt nodded, "Yeah."

"I need to work on that too. What are you doing for that English project?" Blaine opened one of his books just to do something and to avert his eyes from Kurt, who seemed not to find anything weird in their exchange. It was a normal conversation but to Blaine it felt surreal, since he usually avoided any kind of unnecessary interaction.

Kurt huffed, "I haven't even started thinking about that."

"You're working with Tina, right?" Blaine asked lightly moving his fingers over the random page he had opened his book at.

Kurt made a displeased face, "No, Ms. Christie asked her to work with Brett to help raise his mark. She's too good to say no."

"Maybe we could work together." Blaine blurted out without thinking and they both stared at each other. It was only for a brief moment and Blaine didn't even have the time to chastise himself over where the hell had _that_ come from before Kurt was looking away and spotting something – or someone – that made his expression darken.

"Maybe it's not a good idea for us to hang out at school." He didn't look at Blaine when he said that and Blaine instantly regretted ever talking to him.

"Right. Wouldn't want to be seen with me, huh?" Blaine moved to stand but Kurt grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"I didn't mean that! It's not safe for _you_ to be seen with me." Kurt looked around, but the few other people in the library didn't seem to be paying them any attention. He immediately retracted his hand when Blaine sat down again.

Blaine studied Kurt's face for signs of lying but he couldn't spot any, "It's not like I'm joining glee club and dancing in the courtyard. It's just a paper."

Kurt nodded, "I know, but people are weird. I just don't want you to get slushied or worse."

Blaine frowned, "I thought you didn't care about what other people think. That's the one thing I knew about you before I ever talked to you."

Kurt gave a him a small smile, "I don't but this is not about me."

"How about we work on this paper and if anything goes wrong, we go back to ignoring each other afterwards?" Blaine shrugged, ignoring the feeling that he was making a mistake even allowing this small exception.

Kurt's smile actually reached his eyes, and Blaine couldn't help but think that it was genuine, "Okay."

They spent the rest of the hour in silence working on their own but agreed to meet the next day after school to start brainstorming for their English project. Kurt smiled at him before leaving and Blaine told himself he was only doing this because it was safer to keep an eye on the one person who knew his biggest secret.

~:~

The following day Blaine was in the library five minutes before the agreed upon time. He sat himself at a table and opened one of his books to look busy, but found himself unable to get past the first paragraph because he kept glancing up at the door to look for Kurt's arrival. It was ridiculous and he knew it, so he tried harder to concentrate on what he was reading. When he glanced up again he realized Kurt was five minutes late and he fought to keep at bay the feeling that he was just wasting his time. Blaine decided to give the boy a half hour to show up and if he didn't Blaine would leave.

The half-hour mark came and went without any sign of Kurt; by then Blaine was so angry he wanted to throw his book at the wall, but he didn't, instead he mentally berated himself for ever thinking – _hoping_ – that this would go any differently. There was no place for hope in Blaine's life and he couldn't afford to forget it.

~:~

Blaine had spent two more hours in the library that afternoon to finish his homework, ignoring the English paper he was supposed to work on with Kurt and pushing aside every thought concerning the other boy. As much as he tried though, he was still in a sour mood the morning after when he found himself once again in gym class. Luckily for him Kurt was nowhere in sight.

"Hey, guys! Did you hear about Kurt's dad?"

Blaine looked up from where he was changing his clothes and saw Mike Chang approaching the other Glee guys, looking worried and wide-eyed.

"What about him?" Artie asked.

"Tina told me he's in the hospital." Gasps and various exclamations of surprise and worry followed this information but Blaine froze, listening intently.

"I don't know anything for sure yet. Tina overheard something about his heart but didn't get a chance to ask Kurt because Mr. Schue and Ms. Pillsbury immediately took him to the hospital. Nobody's heard from him since yesterday."

More chaos and questions followed, with Mike trying to explain he really didn't know anything more and Blaine heard Sam ask Finn if he'd heard from Kurt yet, "Your parents are dating right?" to which a flustered Finn mumbled Kurt hadn't called him.

Blaine didn't listen to anything else that was said. So that was why Kurt hadn't shown up and Blaine hadn't even given him the benefit of the doubt, immediately getting mad at him and himself for even thinking to maybe befriend the boy. A part of him knew his reaction had been justified – he had been disappointed enough times to last him a lifetime – and yet a different part of him had hoped Kurt was different. And maybe he was, Blaine only needed to give him a chance. If only he could find it in himself.

~:~

Blaine didn't see Kurt at all after hearing about his dad, so he was rather surprised to finally see him at his locker during lunch break the day after. Kurt looked distraught and Blaine's heart clenched a little at the sight.

"Hey." Blaine greeted softly.

Kurt turned to him, startled. "Blaine. Hi."

"I thought you weren't in school today."

"I only missed first period but I already have my homework and I have glee so I can't miss out on school." Kurt sounded exhausted, like he was doing everything on autopilot. "I'm sorry I didn't show up the other day-"

"I heard about your dad." Blaine interrupted him. "How is he?"

Kurt looked away, as if bracing himself, "He had a serious arrhythmia. He's stable now but he's in a coma. The doctors don't know if he's going to wake up."

"Kurt, I'm so sorry." Blaine spotted two of Kurt's glee friends exiting the cafeteria and frowned, "How come you're not with your friends?"

Kurt had followed his gaze and saw them too, "I needed to get away."

"Do you want me to leave you alone?"

Kurt shrugged, "Not unless you want to change my view on religion."

Blaine's frown deepened, "Why would I do that?"

Kurt shrugged again, "I wish I knew."

Blaine thought for a moment while Kurt finished putting his books away and closed his locker then he took a step back, his eyes fixed on Kurt, "Come with me."

"Where to?" Kurt asked, but he was already moving to follow Blaine.

"Somewhere no one will bother you."

Blaine took the stairs and started climbing them with Kurt on his side. "I wanted to text you, to at least let you know that I wasn't coming but-"

"I didn't give you my number." Blaine finished for him. He hadn't even thought about that until then and it was strange to think that Kurt might have spared even just a thought for him on any day, but especially not on the day his father had ended up in the hospital.

"Yeah." Kurt confirmed as they kept climbing. "Are we going to hide in one of the unused classrooms?" he asked when they got to the top floor.

"Nope." Blaine stopped in front of a door and opened it revealing a flight of narrow stairs.

"What is this?" Kurt asked peeking inside.

"This is the access to the roof."

"I didn't even know we _could_ access the roof."

"I doubt we're allowed but no one's bothered to check this door in ages. The lock has been broken since last year when I transferred." Blaine shrugged.

"And you just walked around school trying every door?" Kurt asked with the smallest quirk to his mouth, like he couldn't help but find Blaine funny, which thoroughly confused Blaine.

"Pretty much." He gestured for Kurt to go up, "After you."

When they got outside Kurt tilted his head up to the sunlight and closed his eyes, basking for a moment in the unusual warmth for early November.

Kurt turned to look at Blaine, "Okay, this is pretty peaceful. I can see why you like it. Do you come up here often?"

"If it's not too cold or raining. Roofs are good places to hide."

Kurt tilted his head to the side, questioningly, "How so?"

Blaine shrugged, "People never look up."

Kurt thought about it for a moment, then nodded and turned to walk towards the railing. He crossed his arms over it and rested his chin on them, looking far away in the distance. Blaine followed him and mimicked his position. A moment of silence passed before Blaine spoke again.

"Are you two close?"

Kurt nodded, his eyes unfocused on something distant. Blaine could see the tears welling up in them. "He's all I have." Kurt whispered, a tear slowly making its way down his cheek. Suddenly he brushed it away and looked back at Blaine, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't dump this on you. You have your own problems."

"It's okay, I asked you." Blaine paused and they just looked at each other, "You can talk to me."

"I don't know what I'll do if I lose him." Kurt admitted in a broken voice.

Looking at Kurt, Blaine was struck by how open and honest the boy was. Blaine couldn't remember the last time someone had confided in him, made him feel like he cared, and Blaine knew that was a dangerous feeling. Letting people in usually lead to disappointment and hurt. But Kurt looked so vulnerable in that moment that Blaine couldn't bear to turn away from him, even though he didn't have in him any words or gestures that would make it better. All Blaine could give him was silent understanding and a place where Kurt could let his walls crumble without fear.


	5. I'm An Open Book Instead

**I'm an Open Book Instead**

_I am here still waiting though I still have my doubts_

_I am damaged at best__, like you've already figured out_

_I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing_

_With a broken heart that's still beating_

The day after talking to Blaine on the roof Kurt got to school and found a stray piece of paper in his locker. It was simple white paper and it was carefully folded. Warily he picked it up and opened it.

_Courage_

It was the only word on it and it didn't have any signature. With a small, tentative smile on his lips Kurt wondered who could have put it there. He didn't recognize the handwriting but before he could give it too much thought he caught a flash of red in the form of letterman jackets and hurried to close his locker and walk briskly in the other direction.

Throughout the day he found himself taking the piece of paper out of his pocket to read again, the simple word making him smile every time. Many might not have thought much of such a small gesture but Kurt truly appreciated the kindness behind it. The fact that someone had spared a minute to think of him warmed him.

He met Blaine for lunch and they escaped to the roof once again. Kurt was going to visit his father after school but they agreed to meet at his house afterwards to start working on their English project. This time Blaine made sure to give Kurt his phone number.

~:~

Blaine was hesitant about going to Kurt's house. He had tried not to show it when they were talking, masking it as if he was just considering the convenience of one location versus the library, but it had been a reasonable choice since Kurt wanted to visit his father first. Standing now in front of Kurt's house, he wondered if he had made a mistake.

The light was on, which probably meant Kurt was home just like he said he would be. Blaine took the last few steps and reached the door, ringing the doorbell. He heard noise behind the door and then a click before Kurt opened the door and greeted him with a smile.

The house wasn't big but looked cozy from what Blaine could tell of the living room. Kurt already had his books out on the table behind the couch.

"I was just doing some math while I waited for you." He gestured for Blaine to join him there and then asked him if he wanted something to eat or drink. Blaine watched him go into the small kitchen and rifle through a cabinet.

"Water would be nice, thank you." Blaine replied politely and Kurt turned to nod and smile at him again with a bag of chips in his hand. He got two small waters out of the fridge, put the chips in a bowl and brought everything to the table. He acted like everything was normal, like _Blaine_ was normal and not the boy he had found sleeping in a park a couple weeks before.

They got to work and soon enough they had decided on a topic and how to develop it. It turned out they worked pretty well together and now that he was actually talking to Kurt, Blaine realized he was just as smart as he had thought but didn't really seem like the jerk he'd labeled him to be that faithful day in class. Kurt didn't make any snide remarks about his wild curls nor did he ask him any questions about his living arrangements, something Blaine had been fearing. In fact, while generally subdued, Kurt kept acting like everything was normal and Blaine was just a regular classmate.

When dinner time approached Blaine started gathering his things up.

"Do you want to stay for dinner and keep working?" Kurt asked him, looking unsure for the first time.

"Uh, actually I have to get to work. Maybe we can continue tomorrow?"

"Sure."

Kurt didn't move his things and a thought occurred to Blaine, which he voiced without thinking.

"Are you going to be alone?" There wasn't anyone else in the house and Kurt had said his father was all he had.

"Carole checks up on me everyday but she won't be here until later, she's working all afternoons to be with my dad in the morning when I'm at school." Kurt replied and then, at Blaine's blank look, he added, "Carole is Finn's mum, our parents are dating."

"Right." Blaine nodded as it all clicked.

They greeted each other awkwardly and Blaine left but stood frozen just a couple steps from Kurt's door. On an impulse he turned back and knocked. Kurt opened right away, as if he hadn't made it far either.

"I don't get you." Blaine blurted out.

Kurt rolled his eyes at him but a corner of his mouth quirked up, "That's not unheard of."

"No, seriously, why? Why do you act like I'm a normal person?"

Kurt's eyes widened, "Because you _are_. You might be in a difficult position right now but that doesn't make you any less of a normal person." He sighed and looked away for a second, "Honestly? I'd like to be friends with you. You've been nice to me and I don't think less of you because of your situation. I promise I'm not as much of a snob as I sometimes seem."

Blaine blinked, "Oh. Okay." He paused, digesting what he had heard. "I think I'd like that, too. I'll see you at lunch?"

Kurt smiled, "On the roof? I'll be there." He said at Blaine's nod.

Blaine walked to his bike replaying Kurt's words in his mind and a small smile crept on his face. He brought a hand to his cheek in surprise, he thought he had forgotten what a genuine smile felt like.

~:~

It became an unspoken agreement between them to meet for lunch and hide on the roof. Kurt needed the respite from the people who, as much as they cared for him, didn't seem to get him at the moment and Blaine enjoyed the novelty of having company, someone to talk to even if just about mundane things like school and homework.

Finding notes in his locker also seemed to become a regular occurrence. The second one Kurt found said "_Courage is tiny pieces of fear all glued together_". He liked that one a lot.

"Can I ask you something I've been thinking about for a couple days now?" Kurt asked Blaine as they munched on the muffins he had baked the day before ("Don't glare at me, Anderson. I bake when I'm stressed. I'm not trying to feed you, I just don't want them to go to waste.)

Blaine, who was sitting with his back against the railing, shrugged, "I guess?"

Kurt wasn't looking at him as he started talking again, "The other night you wanted to know why I treat you like a normal person and it made me wonder. I mean, I can only imagine what you must have thought of me that day in class and I know you were mad at me, so why did that change afterwards?"

Blaine was silent long enough to draw Kurt's eyes back to his face, "Because I know what it's like to be the bullied gay kid."

Kurt's eyes widened a little and Blaine thought it looked more like dawning comprehension than actual surprise.

Blaine continued, "I was mad at you but then I saw you being thrown around and you seemed so…" _Like me. Alone. Broken._ "I don't know… different? Like maybe you were only mean to me because you were lashing out."

"I do that. I have to defend myself somehow." Kurt murmured. "In my defense my insults are usually better aimed, I'm afraid you were the unfortunate victim of a bad day."

Blaine smiled a little, "Hey, you were spot on, though. I've got to give you credit for that."

Kurt closed his eyes and shook his head but couldn't help smiling too.

"Also, you did get points for rescuing me from the dust during gym class." Blaine added with a smile, making Kurt laugh.

~:~

Blaine knew that Kurt was going to sing a song dedicated to his father that afternoon during Glee Club. Kurt had told him that after having to listen to everybody saying their piece about how he should cope (mostly by praying a God he didn't believe in), they were going to have to listen to him, at least for two minutes.

For some reason that wasn't quite clear even to Blaine himself, he decided he wasn't going to miss Kurt's song. He wanted to hear the boy sing, so he found an alcove in hearing distance of the choir room and settled there with a book. He waited there until he heard Kurt's voice announce his intention of singing and then moved to sit on the floor next to one of the doors.

_Oh yeah, I'll tell you something  
I think you'll understand  
When I'll say that something  
I wanna hold your hand  
I wanna hold your hand  
I wanna hold your hand_

Kurt's voice surprised him with its beauty and as he listened to him singing a lump formed in Blaine's throat. The kind of love and dedication that Kurt was singing about, that was what family should be about and it tore at Blaine's heart, because he'd never had it.

_And please, say to me  
You'll let me hold your hand_

A single tear rolled down Blaine's cheek and he roughly brushed it away. He listened to the whole song, the lump in his throat never subsiding, then got up and walked away.

~:~

When Kurt got out of Glee after singing I Want to Hold Your Hand, he was surprised to find one more note in his locker.

_Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow._

This time his anonymous friend had also added something.

_I think this quote fits you perfectly._

Kurt smiled and brought it to his heart.


	6. I Can Almost See

**I Can Almost See**

_If you knew how lonely my life has been_

_And how long I've been so alone_

_And if you knew how I wanted someone to come along_

* * *

When Kurt got out of the hospital he found Blaine waiting for him by the car. A grin broke out on his face.

"Blaine!"

Blaine looked up and saw Kurt approaching him at a fast pace, looking happier than he'd ever seen him.

"My dad woke up!"

Blaine smiled too, "Kurt, that's great! I'm so happy for you. How is he?"

"He's a little weak, but he's coherent and the doctors say he should make a full recovery if he takes care of himself." A tear fell from his eye and Blaine watched it travel down his cheek and get lost in the curve of his smile. "But what are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you but is everything okay?"

Blaine spared a second to marvel at the fact that once again Kurt expressed worry about him. "I'm fine. I wanted to see you. See how your dad was. I'm sorry I didn't come in, I just… really hate hospitals."

Kurt smiled at him again, "I don't blame you. Who doesn't? Thank you for coming, I can't believe you rode all the way here. Can I give you a ride to work?"

"I don't have to work tonight." Blaine shrugged.

Kurt looked like that was the best news after his father's awakening, "Then you're having dinner with me! I feel like cooking tonight."

Blaine opened his mouth as if to protest but Kurt didn't give him time.

"Blaine, my dad just got out of a coma. I need someone to celebrate with. You can't refuse."

"I wasn't going to." Blaine lied putting up the most earnest expression he could manage, the result was quite funny and Kurt laughed.

"Right."

~:~

Kurt made a simple meal for the two of them, pasta with meatballs, which Blaine seemed to appreciate. Kurt thought to himself he should try and get Blaine to stay for dinner more often.

"I have some leftover chicken if you want, to go with the salad." He offered.

Blaine eyed him with a mixture of exasperation and amusement that Kurt considered progress, "I'm good with just the salad, thank you."

"Okay." Kurt said and brought it to the table anyway, then he took some for himself, just to make a point. He wouldn't normally eat this much for dinner but he hadn't had much appetite while his father was in the hospital and besides, if he wanted Blaine to eat it would probably help if he set an example.

"I heard you sing today." Blaine told him, surprising Kurt once again that night.

"You did? What did you think?"

"I think you have a wonderful voice and I loved your song choice."

"Really?" Kurt grinned. "Thank you! You could have come in, you know. No one will bother you in the choir room."

"But they would _notice_ me. It's safer if they don't. Less questions."

"I guess you're right." He sighed, opting to change the subject back to singing. "Do you sing too?"

"I used to, at my old school. I still do sometimes. I got a job as a singer at Six Flags last summer."

Kurt perked up, "I'd love to hear you sing sometime."

"I'm planning to audition for a Christmas Special, if I get the part maybe you could. If you're not busy." Blaine shrugged, as if that was nothing.

Kurt smiled, "I'll be there if you do. But feel free to burst into song anytime you want when you're around me, I don't mind. Actually I'll probably join in."

Blaine smiled and almost felt tempted to take him up on that. He looked back at his plate and went back to eating the chicken he didn't remember taking. He must have been distracted.

"Can I ask you why you changed school?" Kurt asked, almost timidly.

Blaine's mood dampened immediately. "I got beaten up for being gay and ended up in the hospital. It wasn't safe anymore for me there." He relayed with a tone so detached he could have been talking about the weather.

Kurt was stunned, "Oh, I'm so sorry, Blaine. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories but… what about your family?"

Blaine kept staring into his plate, "I don't have any."

Kurt blinked and paused. As much as he didn't want to push Blaine, he also wanted to know more about the boy in front of him, "But then how did you enroll in school?"

Blaine looked up then, momentarily distracted from thoughts of his family, "I had to fake a few things. I honestly didn't think they'd fall for it and I was ready to run at the first sign of suspicion but apparently they don't do much of a background check here. I guess I've been lucky in that respect."

Kurt's incredulous face was priceless, "Lucky in finding a school with careless, unprofessional staff? Sure, why not. I'm all about finding the silver lining too."

Blaine laughed despite everything and it was jarring how foreign that sound was to his own ears. But Kurt seemed to be able to bring back a part of him that he thought he'd lost.

"Also 'faking a few things'? That's very _Catch Me If You Can_ of you. I'm impressed." Kurt said, clearly happy Blaine's mood had turned around.

Blaine grinned and shook his head, almost disbelieving, "Why am I even telling you this?"

Kurt shrugged, "Because I already know and it's nice to talk to someone every once in a while? Seriously, your voice is rusty from lack of use. You don't need to worry about me, I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Thank you. I believe you, but… maybe there are things you shouldn't keep silent about." Blaine said, suddenly serious.

Kurt frowned, "Like what?"

"Like what Karofsky is putting you through. You need to tell someone, Kurt."

Kurt got a sad look on his face that immediately made Blaine regret ever mentioning it, "I tried, but I have no proof so they couldn't do anything."

"I've seen him!" Blaine protested, "I'll come with you to the principal and I'll tell him so."

"You'd really do that?"

"Of course. I don't want to see you get hurt even more."

"What if they try to involve your parents?"

"Why would they?"

"I don't know. To make sure you're not lying? I don't know. It doesn't matter, I can't do it anyway." Kurt said and Blaine hated the defeated look on his face.

"Why not? What could possibly be a good reason for not reporting someone who beats you up on a regular basis?"

"Twice is not a regular occurrence." Kurt objected weakly.

"Yet." Blaine countered, his expression clearly saying that he thought it was bullshit.

Kurt was silent, which made Blaine worry. "Kurt? Is there something else?"

Kurt shook his head, but it was obvious there actually _was_ something else, "It's… not my secret to tell. But I guess you're the one person who could understand, so." He shrugged, "He's gay, or at least he's confused."

Blaine's eyes widened, "How do you know?"

"I snapped one day and yelled at him in the locker room and he ended up kissing me." Kurt told him with a grim face.

"He kissed…?" Blaine's voice trailed off, incredulous. "Have you tried… I don't know, talking to him? If he's confused…"

Kurt interrupted him by shaking his head, "After that encounter our communications have amounted to him threatening me and me trying not to spit blood on my clothes after he punched me. I wasn't exactly feeling up to being understanding."

Sudden comprehension dawned on Blaine, "He's the one who threatened to kill you, isn't he? I kept thinking about it, after that day when you thought I was threatening you." At Kurt's nod, he felt anger bubble up in him. "You need to tell someone, he can't go on unpunished, no matter how confused he is."

"I told you, I tried but I have no proof and I refuse to out him. It wouldn't do any good. I think he hates himself even more than he hates me. And he hates me because I'm everything he's scared of being. I don't just mean gay either, but despised, ridiculed and bullied."

Blaine looked at Kurt with an indecipherable expression, "There's not a lot of people who would care to protect someone who's been making them miserable."

Kurt shrugged, "Don't get me wrong, I hate him plenty. I'm terrified at school and angry the rest of the time. But no matter how miserable I get, I don't want my actions to be led by those kind of feelings. He does what he does out of hatred, but I can't be like that. I want to be my own person and that doesn't include making other people miserable. Outing someone on purpose is cruel, especially in this kind of environment, and I'm not going to do that."

Blaine just looked at him, speechless.

Kurt closed his eyes, "You think I'm stupid."

"No, I don't. I'm… impressed. You're probably the most moral person I've ever met. For the record, I think you're doing the right thing not outing him, but I still wish there was something we could do to make him stop."

Kurt smiled at him, "Me too."

Later, as Blaine helped Kurt clean up, the conversation turned to more pleasant subjects, like music and movies. When it got late and Blaine wanted to go, Kurt stopped him.

"Blaine, you can't possibly think I'll let you go and sleep who knows where. My couch has got to be better than a park bench."

Blaine looked at him sadly, "Kurt, I don't want to be a burden." It wasn't about keeping it a secret anymore, nor was it just a matter of pride. For the first time in a year he felt like he had found a friend and he couldn't let his situation ruin it by taking advantage of Kurt's kind heart.

"You're not!" Kurt protested, "You're my friend." He paused before continuing, "This has been one of the worst weeks of my life and you were there for me in a way no one else was. Please let me do the same for you."

Blaine's smile was a bit tremulous but Kurt didn't seem to notice. "Thank you." Blaine said and hoped Kurt understood how much he meant it. How much Kurt's sincerity and kindness meant to him.


End file.
